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Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection
Judge Dredd: The Mega-Collection is an eighty-part collection of hardback books published by Hachette Partworks Ltd. every fortnight, with the first book hitting newsagents on January 21st 2015 (although subscribers received their copies a few days earlier). It comprises collections of key stories from the world of 2000 AD character Judge Dredd and stories which introduce popular supporting characters. Also in the books are concept sketches, cover galleries and interviews with writers and artists. Subscribers are offered a range of gifts including a replica Judge Dredd badge, a Judge Dredd takeaway mug (suitable for all legal beverages) and two bookends bearing the legend "I AM THE LAW." The stories are grouped thematically rather than being published in strict chronological order, although the stories in each individual book are in the correct sequence. For example, the first book, America, contains all the events pertaining to the life and death of America Jara, and the birth and coming of age of her daughter America Beeny. However, these events come after the events of a later book, The Apocalypse War. When put on a bookshelf in order, the spines of the books show a picture of Judge Dredd inspecting a line of suspects. The series also features unique and newly commissioned red, white and black line style covers, inspired by a French part work of Batman. The Mega Collection has been supported and promoted by 2000 AD's first official podcast, the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast, which is released fortnightly to tie in with the current issue of the Mega Collection, featuring interviews with various 2000 AD luminaries relevant to the current release. The Thrill-Cast is released via both iTunes and Soundcloud. Reading between the lines, the 2000 AD droids seem to have received a certain amount of flak from disgruntled fans about the Mega Collection, its price and its non-sequential nature. Take this droid-penned Damage Report from prog 1935: "'So, PYE-O1,' Cyber-Matt sneered, pausing to light his lube-burner with a fifty-groat note. 'How much have we profited out of the Mega Collection so far?' PYE checked his black book, bound in the hide of penniless Earthlets. 'By embezzling the royalties and production costs, we're on course to make a cool thirty mill.' 'Impressive. Not bad for a couple of plebs, eh?'" In a similar vein is this exasperated Damage Report in prog 1937: "Part. Works. Part. Works. It's published in parts, hence the name: Partworks. You get it in parts. Some of those parts are released in chronological order, but it assembles into a collection once the parts come together, you see? Part. Works. No, no, you're thinking of the Case Files. Yeah, every story, in order. The Partworks are different — 'cos they're partworks..." In shelf position order: 1) America 2) Democracy Now 3) Total War 4) The Dead Man 5) Necropolis 6) Judge Death Lives 7) Young Death 8) Psi-Judge Anderson: The Possessed 9) Psi-Judge Anderson: Engram 10) Psi-Judge Anderson: Shamballa (by Alan Grant and Arthur Ranson) 11) Psi-Judge Anderson: Childhood's End 12) Psi-Judge Anderson: Half-Life 13) Stars of Psi-Division 14) Devlin Waugh: Swimming in Blood 15) Devlin Waugh: Chasing Herod 16) Devlin Waugh: Fetish (includes an interesting interview with Siku) 18) Undercover Brothers (featuring Lenny Zero and Brit-Cit Babes) 19) Low Life: Paranoia 20) Low Life: Hostile Takeover 21) The Simping Detective (also features Galen DeMarco) 22) Independent Operators (featuring Harmony Krieg) 23) Banzai Battalion 24) Mechanismo 25) Mandroid 26) Mean Machine (featuring Mean Angel, Jr and Sarah Suggs) 28) The Life and Crimes of P.J. Maybe 29) Chopper 30) Target: Judge Dredd 31) Oz (featuring Chopper's journey across the Pacific) 33) The Day the Law Died 34) The Judge Child 36) The Apocalypse War 37) Judgement Day 38) Inferno 39) Wilderlands 40) The Pit 41) The Hunting Party 42) Doomsday for Dredd 43) Doomsday for Mega-City One 44) Satan's Island 45) Origins (featuring Chief Judge Fargo) 46) Mutants in Mega-City One 47) Tour of Duty: Backlash 48) Tour of Duty: Mega-City Justice 49) Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction 50) Day of Chaos: Endgame 51) Trifecta 52) The Chief Judge's Man 53) Brothers of the Blood (featuring Rico Dredd, Judge Rico, Vienna and Dolman) 54) Insurrection 55) The Heavy Mob 56) Beyond Mega-City One 57) Calhab Justice 58) The World at Law 59) '' Behind the Iron Curtain'' (featuring Red Razors and Samizdat Squad) 60) Hondo-City Justice 61) Shimura 62) Armitage (includes an interview with Dave Stone) 63) Armitage: City of the Dead (includes an obituary for John Cooper) 64) Missionary Man 65) Missionary Man: Treasure of the Sierra Murder 66) Missionary Man: Goin' South 67) Cursed Earth Koburn 68) Cursed Earth Carnage (comprising The Helltrekkers, Citi-Def and Sleeze 'n' Ryder) 69) Mega-City Underworld 70) Mad City 71) Fast Food 72) The Art of Taxidermy 73) Heavy Metal Dredd 74) Famous Monsters 75) Alien Nations 76) Klegg Hai! (includes The Corps) 77) Horror Stories 78) Tales from the Black Museum 79) Into the Undercity 80) Dark Side of the Moon (includes Breathing Space) Category:Partworks Category:2000 AD